1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for mounting circuit components ("CCs") on a circuit substrate ("CS").
2. Related Art Statement
FIG. 14 shows a known CC mounting system 500 including a CS supporting device 512 which supports a CS 520, 521; a CC mounting device (not shown) which mounts, at a CC mounting position, CCs on the CS 520, 521 supported by the CS supporting device 512; a CS carry-in device 514 which carries in the CS 520, 521 and transfers the CS 520, 521 to the CS supporting device 512; and a CS carry-out device 516 which receives, from the CS supporting device 512, the CS 520, 521 on which the CCs have been mounted, and carries out the CS 520, 521. The CS carry-in and carry-out devices 514, 516 are provided along a CS carrying route on which the CS 520, 521 is carried, and the CC mounting device is provided at the CC mounting position offset from the CS carrying route. The CC supporting device 512 includes a main holding device 518 which holds the CS 520, 521, and a main-holding-device moving device which moves the main holding device 518 horizontally and vertically. Thus, the CS 520, 521 held by the main holding portion 518 is horizontally moved between the CC mounting position where the CCs are mounted on the CS 520, 521 by the CC mounting device and a CS transferring position where the CS 520, 521 is transferred from the CS carry-in device 514 and to the CS supporting device 512, and is transferred from the CS supporting device 512 to the CS carry-out device 516, and where the CS 520, 521 is vertically moved between a movement height position where the CS 520, 521 is moved for the CCs to be mounted thereon and a transferring height position where the CS 520, 521 is transferred between the CS supporting device 512 and the CS carry-in and carry-out devices 514, 516.
In the first step shown in FIG. 14, the CS 520 is carried in by the CS carry-in device 514; and, in the second step, the CS 520 is transferred to, and held by, the main holding device 518 being positioned at the CS transferring position and the transferring height position, while the CS 520 is moved in a direction (i.e., horizontal direction) substantially parallel to the plane of the CS 520. In the third step, the main holding device 518 holding the CS 520 is lowered to the movement height position and then is horizontally moved to the CC mounting position where the CCs are mounted on the CS 520. In the second step, the CS 521 on which the CCs have been mounted is transferred, at the CS transferring position and the transferring height position, to the CS carry-out device 516, while the CS 521 is moved in the horizontal direction. Thus, the CS 520 is transferred from the CS carry-in device 514 to the CS supporting device 512, while the CS 521 is concurrently transferred from the CS supporting device 512 to the CS carry-out device 516. This CS transferring operation (i.e., the transferring of the CS 520 onto the CS supporting device 512 and the transferring of the CS 521 from the same 512) needs a long time of about 5 seconds, as illustrated in FIG. 15. In particular, it is difficult to accelerate the transferring of the CS 521 from the CS supporting device 512 to the CS carry-out device 516. Meanwhile, if the acceleration and/or deceleration of movement of the CS 521 are/is increased to solve this problem, the CCs mounted on the CS 521 might move because the CCs have only temporarily been fixed to the CS 521 with solder paste or uncured adhesive.